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For nine decades, the Kiplinger organization has led the way in personal finance and business forecasting. The Kiplinger Letter, launched in 1923, remains the longest continuously published newsletter in the United States. In 1947, Kiplinger created the nation's first personal finance magazine. Today, Kiplinger.com is the fastest growing Web site in personal finance. The Kiplinger editors remain dedicated to delivering sound, unbiased advice for your family and your business in clear, concise language.

Is it worth the hassle for legally married same-sex couples to amend old tax returns to claim the "married filing jointly" status?

If you were legally married anywhere that sanctioned such unions in 2010, 2011 or 2012, you have the option to amend your federal tax returns from those years to file jointly rather than as two single filers.

You aren't required to amend the returns, but it's worthwhile to calculate whether you'd come out ahead as joint filers, especially if there's a big difference in your incomes. "When there is a disparity in income, especially if you have a nonworking spouse, there will be a benefit," says Jean Nelsen, an enrolled agent in San Francisco. (Enrolled agents are licensed to represent taxpayers before the IRS.) If both spouses work and have similar incomes, they are likely to be hit with the "marriage penalty," she says, providing little or no benefit to amending the returns. And if both spouses have capital losses or rental real estate losses, deductions for those losses can be limited when couples file joint returns. Nelsen also points out that if one spouse has adopted the other spouse's children, he or she would lose the adoption credit with an amended return.
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You have until April 15, 2014, to amend a 2010 return; until April 15, 2015, to amend a 2011 return; and until April 15, 2016, to amend a 2012 return.

You need to file a Form 1040X for each year you are amending a return. Nelsen says the procedure is to choose one of the returns that was previously filed as single and use those numbers as the "previously filed amounts" required on the amended return, and add the other spouse's numbers in the adjustment column.

Federal tax returns filed by legally married same-sex couples on Sept. 16, 2013, or later must generally be filed as married. That includes 2012 returns with an extension that had not been filed by that date, as well as federal returns for 2013 and later.

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IRS Form 1095-B provides information about health insurance coverage. The Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, requires that insurance providers send this form to those whose coverage meets the minimal standards of the law.

It's been said by many that looking for a job is a job in itself. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) allows the deduction related to some costs of job hunting, the same way employees can deduct some unreimbursed job expenses. Not all job searches qualify, though, so it's wise to educate yourself on the rules.

The Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, requires certain employers to offer health insurance coverage to full-time employees and their dependents. Further, those employers must send an annual statement to all employees eligible for coverage describing the insurance available to them. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) created Form 1095-C to serve as that statement.

If you paid interest on a qualified student loan, you may be able to deduct some or even all of that interest on your federal income tax return. Student loan companies use IRS Form 1098-E to report how much you paid in interest. Borrowers get a copy of this form, and so does the IRS.